Joseph R. Gill, 88, Judge And Storyteller

"He was a marvelous storyteller in the best tradition of the West Side Irish," said his son, Dick. "While he sometimes went off on more than one tangent, he would reel in every one of those loose ends and all the while doing it very naturally."

That ability led him to embark on a career in law, his son said. At age 40, Judge Gill left his job as an officer with the Chicago Police Department, was hired as an assistant Cook County public defender and later became a Cook County assistant state's attorney before being elected to the bench in 1965.

Born on the West Side, Judge Gill lied about his age--saying he was younger than 32--so he could enlist in the Marine Corps during World War II, his son said.

When Judge Gill made it into boot camp, he trained with 18- and 20-year-old men, his son said. "They used to kid him about his age."

Despite that, Judge Gill enjoyed the camaraderie with his fellow Marines from the 3rd Division and made a point of attending every reunion, Dick Gill said.

After the war, Judge Gill served as commander of the Ted Knusman Amvets Post in the Austin neighborhood.

On Dec. 9, 1942, while on leave, he married his girlfriend, Dolores. When he returned home in 1946, he joined the Police Department and remained there until 1953 while attending night classes at John Marshall Law School.

About the time that he joined the public defender's office, Judge Gill also made the sergeant promotional list at the Police Department, but his son said that he believed his father made the right choice.

"It was something that fit him so well," he said. "He just liked the environment of the courtroom. He loved being a lawyer and loved being a judge."

In 1957, when he moved over to the state's attorney's office, he soon found himself in the middle of an arson investigation that implicated reputed members of the mob.

"Nobody ever threw any rocks through our window," his son said. "My Dad was a pretty darn tough Marine and if he was worried about it, he never conveyed it to anyone at home."

In 1965 Judge Gill was elected to the Cook County Circuit Court, and, as Dick recalled, his father spent most of his 15-year tenure in the Criminal Courts Building at 26th Street and California Avenue.

"On the bench he was somebody who was always trying to take apart the puzzle of facts and personalities and find the fairest way to deal with it," Dick Gill said.

Senior Federal Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz said that Judge Gill was a man respected by both sides of the courtroom. "He had a very fine reputation among lawyers and among fellow judges," Marovitz said. "Everyone had a little affection and respect for him."

When he retired in 1980, he and his wife moved to Bradenton, where Judge Gill remained active in his church and the American Legion.

In addition to his son and wife, Mr. Gill is survived by another son, John; a sister, Catherine Collins; and three grandchildren. Services will be held in Bradenton.